Reuter, Markus: OCULUS - Nothing Is Sacred

Having just come off my review of Markus Reuter’s Shapeshifters album, it is time for another exploration into this man’s enigmatic mind in the form of OCULUS - Nothing Is Sacred. OCULUS is Reuter’s new project and this time the indelible guitarist teams up with some highly significant musicians including Asaf Sirkis (drums and percussion), Fabio Trentini (bass), David Cross (Rhodes and electric violin), Mark Wingfield (electric guitar) and Robert Rich (textures). Reuter contributes touch guitars AU8, soundscapes and keyboards.

As with any music associated with Reuter, at least the stuff I have heard, it is rather hard to categorize. The press sheet references free jazz, somewhat in the vein of Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew, but of course in a different context, somehow using a big band template and taking it into crazy town. Yes, this music is insane and completely off the beaten path. After listening to this album, comparing this music to the path less travelled is an understatement.

There are five tracks with each over ten minutes and these musicians know how to take advantage of this extended time, traveling to the most unexpected places and taking the strangest possible routes. The guitar work, as you might expect, is both unnerving and utterly creative. The notes burn with precision or maybe the sustain will take you to some far-off planet, the moods created here are really quite spectacular. But I also have to say this will not be for everyone. For some, this may sound like a hot mess, for others it will be the exact opposite. No matter where you sit on the spectrum you simply have to give these musicians the respect they so richly deserve, creating art in a completely unfiltered and unique way. I found this to be quite fascinating, trippy and profoundly weird - to be taken as a complement.

A rating of four stars is very much deserved.

A Moonjune Records release.

Track Listing:
1. Nothing is Sacred (Dice II) (12:32)
2. The Occult (Dice I) (12:54)
3. Bubble Bubble Bubble Bath (Wink) (12:52)
4. Solve et Coagula (Ghost I) (10:46)
5. Bubble Bubble Bubble Song (Sighs) (12:07)

Added: April 5th 2021
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Artist's Official Site
Hits: 750
Language: english

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